2.3 kV – A new voltage class for Si IGBT and Si FWD

In this paper new silicon IGBT and diode technologies of a new voltage class are presented. These technologies are being developed to meet the requirements of solar central converters with a DC-link voltage of 1500 V. Especially the cosmic radiation failure rate is limiting the usage of devices with nominal voltages up to VNOM=1700 V. The new IGBT is based on Infineon’s most recent TRENCHSTOP(TM) IGBT7 technology, and adapted to the needs of the solar application. The new diode is based on Infineon’s most recent emitter-controlled 7(exp th) generation technology and optimized for the usage as freewheeling diode for the 2.3 kV IGBT. The cosmic radiation robustness of both devices is designed for applied DC-link voltages up to 1500 V. The performance of the devices is designed to be operated either in standard 2-level topology or in a 3-level NPC2 topology when used in combination with a 1200 V module in common collector configuration.